It’s a Long Way, Baby

The Black Label Racing Society has only been around for a month, and they try to attract attention by sponsoring this Grade III $125,000 stakes for three year old fillies at a marathon distance of 14 furlongs.  Personally, I hope I am never frightened enough to run that far myself.

With only three weeks to go before the Breeders Bowl, many of the top marathon fillies have skipped this run over the Breeders Bowl surface.

The race did attract one top ten filly in K’s Araku who is trying to atone for a disappointing finish in her last try.

Here is a look at the field:

1. Capaldiza (3 yo f, Capote x Alycat (Storm Cat) x Alydar) has been a deep closer in sprints and has tried a mile twice without success.  Gene (14%) must have seen something in the works to think she can stretch way out like this.  It’s a good stable that picks its spots carefully.

2. God of War (3 yo f, Storm Cat x Seattle Slew x Nijinsky II) steps up from allowance marathons where two races back she placed and last time wired a short field.  Speed figures really jumped for the Simsters1 (19%) trainee when she started running long. Three for seven lifetime on dirt.

3. The other entry from the Gene barn is Famous Frog (3 yo f, Vindication x Deputy Minster x Baldski).   Like her stablemate, Frog has been sprinting and steps way up in class and far out in distance.  Both of Vindication’s graded stakes winners in the Sim did win dirt routes at least.

4. The morning line favorite, K’s Araku (3 yo f, Sadler’s Wells x Nijinsky II x Mr. Prospector), comes from the astonishingly successful Kronus (24%) barn.  She is five for ten in routes.  As a two year old she concentrated on turf, and was the favorite in last year’s Breeder’s Bowl Juvenile Turf Filly Stakes.  Her last six have been on the dirt, going longer and longer.  She is rated number six in the world in long dirt races.  Her only failure was last time, seven weeks ago, when she faded to fourth at twelve furlongs.  She has a real class edge on the field, and is the only one with multiple triple digit speed figures. Excellent jockey, class and speed edge, excellent barn.  How worried are you about the last try?

5. Ghost Colony (3 yo f, Silver Ghost x Pleasant Colony x The Minstrel) has been rallying from far back in nine and ten furlong allowance races for trainer Tesio (17%).  She has finished first or second in five of six dirt routes.  We’ll have to see how she likes an extra half mile.

6. Isaba (3 yo f, Sadler’s Wells x Machiavellian x Ack Ack) won for fun in a two mile stakes two races back and also won her other try at today’s distance.  Speed figures are low, but they often are for longer races. Jockey R Foster is winning at a 16% clip this year, and PalmIsland (16%) trains.

7. Cynical (3 yo f, Green Desert x Easy Goer Halo) tried this distance last time and seemed to love it as she finished a nice second against an allowance crowd and improved her speed figure by 12 points over her previous effort.  Zewango3 (9%) is still learning this lightly raced filly and gained enough confidence from that last race to make the big jump in class.

8. Seeking the Statue (3 yo f, Statue of Liberty x Feelings Gone (Seeking the Gold) x Kris S.) appropriately makes the trip from France to New York for this. She went last to first to win a minor stakes at 12 furlongs last time, and like many here, makes the jump in class.  The Tiramisu (15%) trained filly, like many in here, seems light in the speed figures.  Jockey L Gunn is winning at 15% for the year.

9. Professional tabloid personality Paris Hilton rides Tomorrow Wendy(IRE) (3 yo f, Sinndar(IRE) x Unfuwain x Ribot) for the EddieBoo (11%) stable.  Wendy is the only filly other than K’s Araku to run a triple digit speed figure.  She is coming off a win in a minor stakes at 13 furlongs and has been first or second in all five of her dirt route tries.  The jockey choice is a bit troubling, though Hilton has managed to win 4% of her mounts. (Insert your own joke here.)

10. Speaking of jockeys, N Lawton has again easily sewn up the 2005 New York jockey title, winning at a 22% clip this year.  Lawton chooses the outside filly, This Love (3 yo f, Thunder Gulch x Easy Goer x Halo).  This Love comes off two straight wins at this distance for the SDMforLife (20%) stable.  They were also her only marathon tries.  Tries graded company for the first time, but so many here are trying stakes company for first time, it’s not much of a jump.  Ranked number 16 in long dirt.

Morning line choice: 4-1-5-10

Timmn’s picks: 10-4-6-2

To comment, email timmn@hotmail.com